SENAPATI, Jan 16 (NNN): Naga People`s Front (NPF), Manipur State has given its reason why the party was not part of the all-party delegation that had gone to New Delhi to meet the Central leaders on the December 18 Chandel incident where an NSCN-IM cadre had allegedly assaulted a film actress.
NPF, Manipur State secretary Athuan Abonmai said today that it was too petty a matter to be taken up by the all political paties. The NPF, Manipur State said that the December 18 incident was a matter of discord between two individuals which was not even fit to be billed as a `law and order issue`.
Chronicling how the turn of event wound up in connection with the Chandel incident, the NPF, Manipur State said the all political party meeting was convened on December 25 by the Chief Minister of Manipur in his office chamber to condemn the same incident. “In the said meeting, Naga People’s Front (NPF) Manipur State unit made it clear that the NPF too condemned any crime against women but it should not be communalized. The NPF also had categorically stated that the Chandel incident was not a political issue. It is a petty incident where a discord cropped up between two individuals. It is rather not fit to be termed a law and order problem. However, the said all political party meeting was adamant to send a delegation to Delhi to pressurise the government of India which the NPF regards as unnecessary on the part of all political parties in general and the Government of Manipur in particular,” Athuan Abonmai, the Manipur State NPF secretary said.
It then alleged that the valley based civil society organizations in league with Film Forum Manipur (FFM) and Manipur Sumung Leela Council termed the incident as molestation. “However, by any standard the incident was not qualified to be a case of molestation. They had purposefully used it as a case of molestation just to whip up public sentiment of the valley people which was sub-consciously endorsed by the state Government,” the NPF stated.